What a difference a day makes. Yesterday, I reviewed The Last Mandarin, a political thriller of terror on a grand scale, a novel about a mother-daughter relationship. Today, it’s Matt Goldman’s Liar’s Creek. It’s about a father and son who never understood each other, and the fear three generations of Hawkins males feel when one of them goes missing. It’s apprehension on a small, local scale, but just as important to the people involved as worldwide terror.
Clay Hawkins grew up in Riverwood, Minnesota where his father, Judd, was police chief. After twenty years away, Clay brings his twelve-year-old son, Braedon home. Although Clay and his father never saw eye to eye, torn apart by Clay’s mother’s death when he was young, Braedon is learning to love his grandfather. He enjoys the same sports. But, Clay had gone to West Point, then played professional soccer in Europe for years. Judd never understood his son.
Now, Clay is home to coach soccer at the private school he attended. Judd was let go as police chief, replaced by a woman. They still can’t communicate, but when Judd’s twin brother, Teddy, disappears, both men are worried. Clay was closer to Teddy than he ever was to his father. And, even as police chief, Judd found ways to protect his twin, a man who didn’t always walk a straight line. Teddy’s disappearance brings together an unlikely group of allies; Judd, Clay, and Police Chief Zoey Jensen.
Liar’s Creek is a slow-paced novel. It’s character-driven, a story of relationships. It’s built on the relationships of the males in the Hawkins family, but those relationships and the search for Teddy involve the larger community. If you’re looking for a quiet story involving a search for answers, answers involving reflections and thoughtful investigation, try Goldman’s Liar’s Creek.
Matt Goldman’s website is https://www.mattgoldman.com/
Liar’s Creek by Matt Goldman. Minotaur Books, 2026. 331p.
FTC Full Disclosure – The publisher sent a copy of the book, with no expectation of a positive review.
